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COVID 19 Public Notice- Office Operations- Beginning Monday, May 18th 2020, our office doors will be open to the public. We will continue to use the recommended guidelines that Matagorda County, and the Texas Governor has in place. We do however ask that you call prior to visiting the Extension Office so that we can continue the recommended social distancing. We also ask that when you visit the extension office you wash your hands or use the hand sanitizer that is provided upon entering the office building. If you have any questions please call the office at (979)245-4100

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension is a state wide educational agency and a member of the Texas A&M University System linked in a unique partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension System and the local County governments in Texas.

Matagorda County is in the Coastal Prairie region of Texas, bounded on the north by Wharton County, on the east by Brazoria County and the Gulf of Mexico, on the west by Calhoun and Jackson counties, and on the south by the Gulf of Mexico and Tres Palacios, Matagorda, and East Matagorda bays. Bay City is the county’s seat of government and largest city founded in 1894, and because of its location near the center of the county it replaced Matagorda as the county seat. The name Matagorda, Spanish for “thick brush,” was derived from the canebrakes that formerly lined the shore. Crossed by the once highly flood-prone Colorado River, which bisects it from north to south, the county extends across 1,612 square miles of mostly open prairie. The growing season averages 295 days per year. Live oak, post oak, pin oak, pecan, ash cottonwood, elm, red cedar, and mulberry grow in the county’s forests; mesquite and prickly pear have invaded the Bay Prairie in patches where the land has been overgrazed. The area harbors a variety of wildlife, including bobcats, coyotes, otters, white-tailed deer, and numerous smaller mammals, as well as oysters, shrimp, fish, snakes, and waterfowl. A number of protected wildlife habitats, including Big Boggy National Wildlife Refuge, the Mad Island Wildlife Management Area, the Runnels Family Mad Island Marsh, and the Nature Conservance, are located in the county. In 1982, 80 percent of Matagorda County was in farms and ranches, and of this, 28 percent was cultivated. The county derives 67 percent of its agricultural receipts from crops, especially rice, sorghum, soybeans, wheat, hay, and cotton. Potatoes, peaches, and pecans are also grown here. Cattle ranching has been important to the local economy. Mineral resources include salt domes, brine, petroleum, and natural gas.

AgriLife Procedures Beginning June 1 ,2020

Phased recovery from COVID19 has begun for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service across Texas. The Matagorda County office is open to the public and here to serve. Site visits will begin June 1 if there is no other way to address the concern through distance means, but those visits will have to be approved prior to the trip and social distancing guidelines have to be in place for the safety of all. Programming will continue virtually from now on but beginning June 1 we will be able to begin conducting face-to-face programming with attendance limited to 25% of the capacity of the facility where the event is being held. All future face-to-face programming will be recorded and/or live streamed for those wishing to stay in a location of their choosing. At all programs moving forward, participants will be required to provide contact information when they arrive at the event location and are encouraged to bring their own PPE to wear if they so choose to do so. The next phase of recovery will take effect to open attendance up to a 50% capacity, site visits will expand as well.

We are currently scheduling facilities for upcoming programs and those details will be coming out soon.

Newsletters and electronic and social media updates will continue to come out. Surface mail newsletters will be to you next week if we have your address. Please stay in touch with us through phone, email, Facebook, the Matagorda County Extension website, and read the newsletters.

Continue being safe and take care! I look forward to seeing all of you soon.

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AgriLife Bookstore

AgriLife Extension's online Bookstore offers educational information and resources related to our many areas of expertise and programming; from agriculture, horticulture, and natural resources to nutrition, wellness for families and youth, and much more.